The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes hung on to beat the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
The win may have come at a huge cost.
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The Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers, 19-15, in Bloomington, Indiana. But lost starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an injury in the fourth quarter.
After the game, OSU head coach Ryan Day said that Sayin will “probably be out for several weeks,” as previously reported.
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Connor Hawkins made a 26-yard-field goal to give Ohio State a 3-0 lead.
The Hoosiers took advantage of a Sayin interception in the second quarter. Turbo Richard’s seven-yard touchdown run put IU ahead, 7-3.
The Buckeyes scored right before halftime. Sayin found Bo Jackson on fourth-and-goal for a two-yard touchdown, and OSU led 10-7 at the break.
Ohio State recovered a fumble on the second play of the second half. It led to Hawkins’ second field goal, extending the lead to 13-7 after three.
The Buckeyes faced a fourth down early in the fourth quarter. Sayin went deep to the end zone, and Jeremiah Smith caught it for a 38-yard touchdown. It expanded the lead to 19-7.
Indiana answered with a 19-yard pass from Josh Hoover to Nick Marsh to cut the deficit to 19-15 with 10:30 left.
Mario Landino sacked Sayin with 8:20 left, knocking the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback out of the game.
Indiana faced a fourth-and-four from the Buckeyes’ 27-yard line with 1:07 left. Hoover threw to a wide-open Nick Marsh in the front corner of the end zone. The fireworks went off, but Marsh’s left foot stepped out of bounds. Video replays show that he put his hands on his helmet, knowing what happened.
This was Indiana’s first home loss in Coach Curt Cignetti’s three seasons. It also snapped the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak.
Sayin went 15-of-29 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Jeremiah Smith caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Ohio State enters the bye week with a 6-1 overall record and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes’ next game will be Oct. 31 at USC in Los Angeles.
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